On 31 July 2006, Warramunga departed Fleet Base West for her first
deployment to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Catalyst, taking
over duties from HMAS Ballarat. While on station in the Gulf,
Warramunga conducted 150 boardings and security patrols, 320 flying
hours were logged by her embarked Seahawk helicopter, and 450
investigative queries of merchant vessels were made. Warramunga
returned to Fremantle on 2 February 2007 after 186 days at sea.

On 29 May 2009, it was announced that Warramunga would be re-tasked
with protecting civilian vessels from piracy in Somali waters. The
ship was assigned to Combined Task Force 151, which was tasked with
preventing pirate attacks on commercial vessels in the shipping
lanes off the Horn of Africa and Somalia.

During July and August 2010, Warramunga was one of three RAN ships
to participate in the RIMPAC 2010 multinational exercise. During
RIMPAC, the frigate participated in the sinking of the
decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans, firing
several rounds from her main gun.

Warramunga was the fourth ship of the class to undergo the Anti-Ship
Missile Defence (ASMD) upgrade. The upgrade occurred across 2014 and
early 2015, the upgrade included the fitting of CEA Technologies'
CEAFAR and CEAMOUNT phased array radars, on new masts, a Vampir NG
Infrared Search and Track system, and Sharpeye Navigational Radar
Systems, along with improvements to the operations room equipment
and layout. As well as the ASMD upgrade, Warramunga was the first
ship of the RAN to be painted with the polysiloxane-based Haze Grey
paint, which has greater durability and infrared-reflection
capabilities than the Storm Grey polyurethane paint used for the
previous 60 years. A new ship's company (that of sister ship
Parramatta, which was docked for upgrading) was assigned on 31 March
2015, and the ship was relaunched on 8 April. On reentering service,
the ship's homeport was changed to Fleet Base East, where she
arrived on 2 September.